Somalia says abides by Arab League plan to counter Houthis spread

MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 7, 2015 (Garowe Online)-Somalia’s Federal Government on Tuesday announced that it was ready to provide Saudi-led coalition striking Houthis in Yemen with the national airspace, Garowe Online reports.

Speaking on VOA Somali Service, Foreign Affairs Minister Abdisalan Omar Hadliye said, the country abides by Arab Strategy of countering the spread of Houthi militias in the Arab country and has given anti Houthi coalition a green light.

“We are Arab League member and we are abiding by the policy of Arab league member states to back the legitimate Yemeni government, “unveiled Hadliye who previously sided with Saudi Arabia in diplomatic spat with Sweden.

The official decision by the East African country put to an end speculation over the Somalia’s role in the fight against Iranian proxy-Shiites engaging in bloody struggle in a bid to topple US-backed President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Earlier last week, Sudan reportedly lodged request with Somalia to use airspace for airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Somalis fleeing from Yemen have complained about targeted intimidations as angry Houthi supporters mistake them for Sudanese.

Over the last two weeks, boats carrying hundreds of Somali refugees docked at a seaport in the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud joined over a dozen Arab leaders in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik in bold gesture in late March.

Besides, UN-backed federal government is insisting that evacuation plans are in the pipeline.

Decisive storm airstrikes by Saudi Arabia and Arab allies is edging closer to two weeks amidst reports of civilian casualties, largely in the strategic city of Aden.

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The independent news Web site GaroweOnline.com is the online sister publication of Radio Garowe, a community radio station based in Garowe, the State capital of Puntland, a self-governing region in northern Somalia